| SECTION
1.4
This
section is a summary of the AAA Foundation for Traffic
Safety Film,
"Breaking
the Accident Chain of Events."
Many
traffic accidents are caused by chains or sequences
of events which lead to trouble.
Consider
the following accident situation.
In
this example, an accident is caused by five links, events
which occur together to form a chain leading to a collision.
| Link
1 |
Driver
#1, Harry, is on his way to work via the same route
he takes everyday. In fact, he is so familiar with
this route that his concentration sometimes wanders.
Today is one of those days. His lack of concentration
is the first link. |
| Link
2 |
Harry
is approaching a construction site. This can
always be dangerous, but crews work hard to keep
construction sites as safe as possible by marking
them with traffic cones. These cones give approaching
drivers advanced notice of changes in the roadway.
Unfortunately, during the night someone hit one
of the traffic cones that mark the construction
site. This inconsiderate driver did not stop to
replace it, nor did the driver inform the police
of the misplaced traffic cone. The fallen traffic
cone, intended as an early warning, is the second
link. |
| Link
3 |
Driver
#2, Paula, is approaching from the other direction.
She is upset and talking on her car phone. Her lack
of concentration is the third link. |
| Link
4 |
As
she gets more and more involved in her conversation,
Paula’s speed is slowly increasing without
her noticing. Her increased speed is the fourth
link. |
| Link
5 |
The
construction site is located on a curve. This
location makes the construction site less visible,
thereby increasing the danger factor. This is the
final link in this accident chain of events.
|
Do
you see the links coming together? They form a
chain of events with an accident as the inevitable result.
First,
daydreaming Harry does not recognize the cone on the
side of the road as a warning. He wakes up to the need
for a lane change too late and swerves awkwardly into
the other lane.
Paula
sees both the construction site and Harry weaving into
her lane, but she is going too fast to stop in time.
If
these events had happened on a straight piece of road
there may not have been an accident. Because they
happened on a curve, the chain of events will lead to
its inevitable conclusion.
return
|
